# Emergency Medical Technicians

US SOC code 29-2042. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-2042

Also called: EMT, EMT-basic, EMT-b, Emergency medical technician basic, Emergency medical technician intermediate.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **180,510** US emergency medical technicians, with median pay of **$44,470** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://ems-history.com/timeline-era-3.html) of **100,000** from 1975, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for emergency medical technicians: 12-lead ECG transmission + real-time CPR feedback, 2010 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 5.8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2042&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **20.8%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Emergency Medical Technicians employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1966
- Latest US employment: 180,510 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $44,470 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +5.8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [22]

### All 9 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1975 | 100,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., EMS History.com [1] |
| 1990 | 154,000 | $18,000 (estimate) | BLS CPS [2] |
| 2010 | n/a | $30,360 | BLS OEWS 2010 [4] |
| 2019 | n/a | $35,400 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2021 | 161,400 | $35,470 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 167,720 | $36,680 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 167,040 | $38,930 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 177,980 | $41,340 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 180,510 | $44,470 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (49)

### Employment series

1. [EMS History.com — Timeline Era 3: Federal Reform and Birth of Modern Paramedicine (1966-1980)](https://ems-history.com/timeline-era-3.html), EMS History
2. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — EMTs and Paramedics (historical edition reference, circa 1990-1992)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/emts-and-paramedics.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

4. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook historical edition — EMTs and Paramedics wages, circa 1990-1992](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/emts-and-paramedics.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. [BLS OEWS May 2019 — 29-2040 Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics combined median annual wage $35,400](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2019/may/oes292040.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

8. [Smithsonian Magazine — "These Trailblazing Black Paramedics Are the Reason You Don't Have to Ride a Hearse or a Police Van to the Hospital"](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/these-trailblazing-black-paramedics-are-the-reason-you-dont-have-to-ride-a-hearse-or-a-police-van-to-the-hospital-180986662/), Smithsonian Magazine
9. [National Academies of Sciences — "Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society" (1966 white paper)](https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/11629/chapter/4), National Academies of Sciences
10. [NREMT — History: National Registry of EMTs founding 1970, first examinations administered 1971](https://www.nremt.org/about/history), National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
11. [EMS History.com — Timeline Era 3: Federal Reform and Birth of Modern Paramedicine (1966-1980)](https://ems-history.com/timeline-era-3.html), EMS History
12. [EMS1 — "The history of AEDs: From scientific breakthrough to layperson use"](https://www.ems1.com/ems-products/aeds/the-history-of-aeds-from-scientific-breakthrough-to-layperson-use), EMS1
13. [FDA — Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs): regulatory history and clearance timeline](https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/cardiovascular-devices/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds), US Food and Drug Administration
14. [NHTSA EMS Agenda for the Future (1996) — describes 911 system integration and CAD technology as core components of the mature EMS system](https://www.ems.gov/assets/EMS_Agenda_Brochure.pdf), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
15. [EMS History — EMS Memorial: comprehensive timeline of EMS system development 1960s-2000s](https://www.emsmemorial.org/ems-history), EMS Memorial
16. [NEMSIS.org — National EMS Information System: history, version timeline, and data standard overview](https://nemsis.org/), NEMSIS Technical Assistance Center
17. [EMRA — A Brief History of Emergency Medical Services in the United States (covers NEMSIS development and ePCR transition)](https://www.emra.org/emresident/article/a-brief-history-of-emergency-medical-services-in-the-united-states), Emergency Medicine Residents Association
18. [ZOLL Medical — AED Plus and AED 3 product documentation: real-time CPR quality feedback technology](https://www.zoll.com/medical-products/aeds/), ZOLL Medical Corporation
19. [Wiley Online Library — Cash et al. 2022: Trends in demographic and employment characteristics of US EMTs and paramedics, 2011-2019](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/emp2.12776), Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open
20. [ESO — ESO Electronic Health Record (EHR): AI-powered auto-generated narrative documentation assistant for EMS agencies, with up to 80% reduction in documentation time (ESO, 2025)](https://www.eso.com/ems/ehr/), ESO
21. [Pulsara — AI-structured EMS-to-hospital team activation platform: 1,000+ hospital and EMS agency deployments (Emergency Medicine News 2025)](https://www.pulsara.com/), Pulsara

### Forecasts and exposure studies

22. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-2042 Emergency medical technicians (2025: 181.9 thousand; 2035: 192.5 thousand; +5.8%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2042&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
23. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-2042.00, human-rated β 0.208)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

24. [HMP Global Learning Network / EMS World — "The White Paper at 60: How a 1966 Diagnosis Built Modern EMS"](https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/emsworld/feature/white-paper-60-how-1966-diagnosis-and-work-came-it-built-modern-ems), HMP Global / EMS World
25. [NPR Code Switch — "How Pittsburgh's Freedom House Pioneered Paramedic Treatment"](https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/03/01/389798498/how-pittsburghs-freedom-house-pioneered-paramedic-treatment), NPR
26. [NREMT — History: National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians founding 1970](https://www.nremt.org/about/history), National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
27. [EMS History.com — "1973: When EMS Earned a Place in Healthcare"](https://ems-history.com/blog-1973-ems-healthcare.html), EMS History
28. [NHTSA — EMS Agenda for the Future (1996): vision statement and 14 attributes of the future EMS system](https://www.ems.gov/assets/EMS_Agenda_Brochure.pdf), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
29. [EMS1 — "How many EMTs and paramedics were killed on 9/11?" (EMS response history and casualties)](https://www.ems1.com/9-11/articles/how-many-emts-and-paramedics-were-killed-on-911-KbtZdIrCERuh8mr3/), EMS1
30. [Wiley Online Library — Cash et al. 2022: Trends in demographic and employment characteristics of US EMTs and paramedics, 2011-2019 (pre-COVID workforce baseline)](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/emp2.12776), Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open

### Predecessors & successors

31. [Smithsonian Magazine — "These Trailblazing Black Paramedics Are the Reason You Don't Have to Ride a Hearse or a Police Van to the Hospital"](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/these-trailblazing-black-paramedics-are-the-reason-you-dont-have-to-ride-a-hearse-or-a-police-van-to-the-hospital-180986662/), Smithsonian Magazine
32. [EMRA — A Brief History of Emergency Medical Services in the United States (military medic to civilian EMS transition, 1970s)](https://www.emra.org/emresident/article/a-brief-history-of-emergency-medical-services-in-the-united-states), Emergency Medicine Residents Association

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Emergency Medical Technicians (29-2042.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-2042.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH — EMTs and Paramedics (combined): ~270,000 employed 2024; +5% projected growth 2024-2034; 20,000 annual openings; median wage $38,930 for EMT-Basic](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/emts-and-paramedics.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ESO AI ePCR documentation assistant — auto-drafts run report narratives from structured data; 30-50% documentation time reduction in pilot deployments at ESO-supported agencies; EMS World 2025](https://www.eso.com/ems/ehr/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ImageTrend AI ePCR Assist — NLP narrative auto-population, incomplete documentation flagging, protocol compliance alerts; deployed at 1,000+ EMS agencies; EMS1 2025](https://www.imagetrend.com/blog/ems-billing-revenue-recovery/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Pulsara EMS-to-hospital communication platform — AI-structured pre-arrival alerts reduce door-to-treatment time for STEMI, stroke, and trauma; 1,000+ hospital and EMS agency deployments; Emergency Medicine News 2025](https://www.pulsara.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Viz.ai Stroke AI — FDA-cleared LVO detection; Viz Mobile App enables field ECG transmission and pre-hospital stroke team pre-alert; deployed at 1,200+ hospitals; Stroke journal 2024](https://www.viz.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Corti AI cardiac arrest detection — 95% sensitivity in 911 call audio vs. 73% for dispatchers alone (NEJM Evidence 2023); deployed at emergency communication centers in U.S., UK, and Denmark](https://www.corti.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ZOLL Medical AED Plus / AED 3 with CPR feedback — real-time compression rate, depth, and recoil coaching; post-event RescueNet Code Review QA report; Resuscitation journal 2025](https://www.zoll.com/medical-products/aeds/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NAEMSP 2025 — AI in EMS: position statement affirming that physical BLS interventions are non-delegable; AI adoption framed as administrative burden reduction and dispatch optimization](https://naemsp.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.